Re: TB: checklist information (was TB: cheap)
From: James Brooks <hirundo@tricon.net>
At 07:08 AM 6/12/99 -0700, you wrote:
>From: "Carol Fisher" <fisherc@jjemail.net>
There are just too many that appear similar. Rare exceptions do
>> exist, So many look-alikes.
>
>Which is why more information in checklist would be helpful, not so much for
>naming an iris as to eliminating possiblies.
As they exist, the checklists provide almost as much information about the
times in which they were compiled as they do about the irises registered.
The massive 1939 (the entire iris world up until 1939) checklist attempted
to limit descriptions to a grid chart, so the iris description might be
Y9M, which would be a yellow and a pink to red-toned bicolor to bitone. But
it also provides several paragraphs of information about each of the
growers, which is a real treasure, and an attempt to categorize fragrances
by comparing them to other known scents. As the colors and types of iris
proliferated, more descriptive lines, thankfully using words instead of
codes, came into being. We are probably at a place where this needs to be
expanded.
I believe the real crying need, however, is for an online data base of all
the checklists, right up to present registrations - a monumental task,
which probably lies beyond the energies of volunteers.
Is any such work going forward? If so, I deserve to be flagellated for not
reading the annual meeting minutes in the AIS Bulletin. Mea culpa.
If not, perhaps this is something that some of the larger hybridizers could
donate some time or personpower to, as they would be the largest
beneficiaries. Just think of being able to check out availability of a name
by going to the AIS page and typing it into a name search instead of going
through six (hopefully, soon seven) checklists and a half dozen annual
registration publications!
However, we are very well served by AIS and the current checklists. I've
been trying to identify some Asiatic lillies, and have learned that lilly
growers are at about the level irisdom was at around 1920, with all
registrations handled by RHS, and I am pretty unclear about how to access
them. It really makes me appreciate the efforts of early and current
irisarians.
James Brooks
Jonesborough, TN
hirundo@tricon.net
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